Hi There, although I have just resolved to stay away from alcohol (again) recently, I believe I will truly succeed this time. I have in the past abstained for over two years only to relapse when friends insisted I no longer had a problem. The problem is that one drink is always too many for me. I unfortunately ended up on that roller coaster again. I gave myself permission to abuse myself further when my spouse passed from a long and painful battle with cancer. I have come to the point that I know that if I continue as I have, I too will die. That is what I tell myself when faced with a trigger or a desire to drink. That innocent looking bottle of wine will eventually kill me. Death or life...I choose life.
Fantastic Captain John, congrats to you! Although you say that the battle will never end I'm wondering while the possibility of a relapse always exists, as with any addiction, eventually once enough time has passed, your cravings take a back seat while your coping skills trump. I am hoping that this is the case for you now. I quit a two pack a day smoking addiction many years ago although it took about five years for all of the cravings to stop, I am now disgusted by the smell and know I will never go back. I'm confident that will be the case with alcohol. Eventually after enough time has passed the smell of booze on someone else will be unpleasant to me which will help me to keep my resolve in social situations and the constant replay of how I feel about myself after a day/night of drinking will help me through other difficult times.
Thanks Rob, I'm already feeling better about myself even though its been only 5 days since my last bottle (most of December is nothing but a haze). It is so easy to convince yourself that one or two drinks are easily handled after a period of abstinence. I know now that I can never ever be a moderate drinker. In fact I would always hurry the first few drinks to exact my goal. What's worse, I often didn't even like what I was drinking but I knew that it would eventually give me the effect I was looking for. Crazy, I know. Crazygolfter, I like your insight..."celebration of real life." Although I wake up every night with night sweats (they are decreasing) I'm already feeling much more refreshed in the morning and full of energy. For me its not about willpower and avoidance (although I am utilizing such tools right now) but to feel good, have lots of energy so that I can do all the things I want to do in a day. When I quit smoking I didn't avoid the ppl that smoked, I simply accepted the fact that it wasn't for me. Choices...
You are so right Foxman. In my case, one drink leads to many more. So, I simply cannot have that one drink. Before Christmas I had purchased wine, spirits and beer for my guests. My guests are "normal" drinkers and I had a lot of booze left in the house after they left. For the next several days I justified drinking every last drop by myself, because it was Christmas...a time to celebrate. I would even take a glass with me when I retired for the evening, wake up in the middle of the night and drink it. When I reflected on what I had done, how I felt while/after doing it and whether this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I knew it wasn't which is why I am here. Hoppo, I know there are a lot of people who after long time alcohol abuse believe they can magically control their drinking but I wonder what percentage actually succeed. Personally, it has been a roller coaster and I am done trying to moderate. Only you can decide what kind of drinker you are Hoppo by being brutally honest with yourself.
I know this is very late but I've just joined. Through my research I've discovered that apparently many people with inflammatory conditions such as IBS have a gluten, sugar and/or dairy intolerance.You can test this out for yourself by avoiding dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt) and gluten products (all processed foods, most baked goods, most cereals) and sugar (all processed foods, even sugar free sweeteners) for two weeks. After two weeks reintroduce one item such as bread and only one item for two weeks to see if it has an adverse effect. Stop that item after two weeks and eliminate another item to see how you respond. Of course you need to stop drinking alcohol since it may contain the very items you should be avoiding such as gluten. This process will in no way hurt you and is recommended by physicians as a way to determine sensitivities. You can check it out online and by all means consult your doctor if you're concerned. Hope this helps and good luck.
That is just fabulous Eva! Makes you wonder why the need to drink to have a good time came about in the first place.Now that you've proven to yourself it can be done each subsequent engagement should be even easier. Kudos to you and keep up the good fight.
Social situations are definitely a tough one. I recently went to a gathering where I chose to abstain. One particular individual insisted that I could have just one whereby I told her that no, I couldn't have just one. I said if I have one I'll need another and another.
Squashed, I'm also on day 7 of no alcohol (wine). I would like to join you both if I may, on this quest for good health and for me, a complete severance of my relationship with alcohol.
Thanks hors controle, I'll definitely check out the "body for life" workout. I really need to get into resistant exercises for my bones. I have arthritis in both hands and began a basically gluten and dairy free diet about six months ago until I totally blew it during December. All the pain and stiffness had disappeared however recently began to resurface when I deviated from my "good" eating habits. I noticed when I consumed gluten products I experienced gastrointestinal upset and when consuming dairy, oddly enough, I experienced sinus problems along with a slight headache. I am a firm believer in a nutrient dense diet (mostly raw) to help your body repair damage to your cells. (Totally flies in the face considering my "past" drinking habits. ) Again, which is why I'm here. I am now on my 8th alcohol free day and already feel more energetic. Looks like I have no excuses not to get on with the weight training. Hey, if not now when lol.
Hello, thought it was time to introduce myself after roaming this site for a few weeks. I've been a binge drinker for most of my life. I quit smoking and drinking completely when having my two children. (One thing to hurt myself, could not hurt someone else.) Drinking became a real problem in the last five years. Lots of stress with work, kids in university, demands of my husbands growing business and then my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We lived in a rather isolated area far from family and friends so we had to sell our property (my husbands lakeside dream). It was a very difficult time. My husband has been gone for over two years now but my drinking persisted. When I started to drink after waking in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning on my days off I knew that I needed help and was fortunate to find this site after much searching. I am now on my 9th AF day. I no longer have night sweats and the numbness in my tongue is almost gone. I find this site to be an enormous inspiration and can relate to so many of your stories. Thank you, I no longer feel alone in my quest of complete abstinence.
Great decision Camiol! A very soul searching one no doubt. Coming to the realization that one drink is too many, in my case, was extremely liberating. Now that you've made that decision you can get on with things and not think about what you no longer can do but what you can do.
That's interesting Kingie. I did the same thing only with vodka. Got to the point where I thought I could drink any amount or any type of booze without physical consequence. Nope, after having several vodkas on top of my usual bottle of wine I paid dearly for two days as well. Thought I had done permanent damage to my stomach (no headache.) I did go back to my wine after that but started critically analyizing how I felt as I was drinking, writing it down (because I knew I would forget) and then appraising my feelings the following morning. It's clear what my conclusion was.
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